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Omlion and his friends. Adventures in the Lonetal Valley
Yuri Trofimov
«Omlion and Friends» Unleashing the Kids superpowers.
Within the pages of "Omlion and Friends," an enchanting adventure unfolds, starring a remarkable boy named Omlion, who possesses the extraordinary ability to transform into a majestic lion at will. Alongside his steadfast companions, Areva and Sol, they form an extraordinary team of kid superheroes, embarking on thrilling escapades that seamlessly blend fantasy and invaluable life lessons.
This captivating tale is crafted by a talented author, a successful entrepreneur, and a devoted father of two – Yury Surenovich Trofimov. His personal journey into parenthood, particularly the birth of his son, served as the catalyst for this book, aimed at inspiring children to believe in themselves and awaken their latent superpowers. "Omlion and Friends" is not just a story; it's a vehicle for self-discovery and empowerment.
At its core, this novel conveys a powerful message – the belief that every child possesses unique talents and abilities waiting to be unearthed. Omlion, Areva, and Soul embody this belief as they embark on a series of adventures, each one meticulously designed to help them confront their fears, surmount obstacles, and cultivate unbreakable friendships.
Through their trials and triumphs, young readers will uncover the profound truth that strength and courage are not the sole domain of superheroes in capes but reside within each and every one of us. The transformative journeys of these characters mirror the potential for growth and self-realization within the hearts of all children.
As Omlion, Areva, and Sol navigate a world where fantasy intertwines with reality, they encounter a vibrant cast of characters, face daring challenges, and explore breathtaking landscapes. These thrilling escapades offer not only an exhilarating ride but also invaluable life lessons about perseverance, compassion, and the significance of working together as a team.
"Omlion and Friends" is a heartfelt celebration of friendship, self-belief, and the innate resilience that resides in children. The author's genuine commitment to nurturing young minds shines through in the unfolding narrative, inviting readers to embark on an unforgettable journey of self-discovery, bravery, and the enduring strength of friendship.
Within the enchanting pages of this narrative, young readers will become entranced by the magical world of Omlion, Areva, and Soul, where the lines between the ordinary and extraordinary blur, and where the heroes of the story are none other than the children themselves. "Omlion and Friends" transcends the realm of mere storytelling; it extends an empowering invitation to embrace one's unique gifts and embark on a lifelong adventure of self-discovery.
Editor: Guy Fox
Artist: Yana Moskalyuk
Yury Trofimov
Omlion and his friends. Adventures in the Lonetal Valley
© Yury Trofimov, text, illustrations, 2021
© Aegitas publishing house, 2023
eISBN 978-0-3694-1046-7
All rights reserved. It is prohibited to copy or reproduce the book or any part thereof in electronic or mechanical form, in form of a photocopy, recording in computer memory, reproduction or in any other way, as well as to use it in any information system without prior consent of the publisher. Copying, reproduction and other use of the book or part thereof without prior consent of the publisher is illegal and will result in criminal, administrative, and civil liability.
Dedicated to my son Leo, my daughter Polina, and all superhero children.
PROLOGUE
Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?
I’ve been to London to look at the queen.
Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you do there?
I frightened a little mouse under the chair.
Samuil Marshak
Snow lioness Isata silently glided along a narrow path on the mountainside. The night was moonless, and the stars shined especially brightly. It seemed not a single dark spot remained in the entire sky where this light would not reach.
The lioness looked up and saw a shooting star. It was not one of those short flashes one can witness during an autumn starfall – this one looked more like a drop of light flowing down the sky. Isata took a closer look and realized that the star was about to fall on the other side of the ridge. Once the shine was gone, the lioness froze for a moment, listening, and then rushed to the place where the star fell.
Once she reached the mountain, Isata hid in the branches of a bush and observed for a while. Night insects were singing, and cold wind gusts pressed the rough grass down to the rocky ground. Having recognized something new in the familiar mixture of smells, the lioness walked down the slope and noticed a man lying amidst a scorched clearing. He looked completely unharmed, and even his blue and silver clothes were intact. Isata walked around him carefully and, after taking a good sniff, clearly understood that he was not dangerous. The lioness had never seen people so close before, but she knew for sure that they did not fall down from the sky like snow. She approached and examined the newcomer carefully, then she slightly licked his ashen forehead and dark hair with her rough tongue just in case.
With a quiet groan the stranger opened his eyes. When he saw the lioness in front of him, the man was not scared. He raised his hand and placed his fingers on her forehead, above the bridge of her nose. Without having time to get indignant, Isata felt incredible heaviness of her eyelids and slid to where the star man called her.
A bright flash covered the mind of the lioness. Once the light dissipated, Isata found herself in a spacious marble hall with carved columns and a long luminous table, at which sat people in colorful clothes. They paid no attention to the lioness, as if she was not there. A flock of small translucent creatures were circling above the table. Like fish, they were floating and frolicking in the air, as if no gravity was affecting them.
“This is Khabir, the city of Stat, my home.” Isata heard the thoughts of the star man. “It was very beautiful. Under the light of the blue sun, there was prosperity, without any wars or diseases. I was so blinded by the welfare of my people that I completely overlooked one fact: even the brightest light creates shadows.”
Among the colorful figures arguing animatedly Isata saw her new acquaintance. He was sitting at the head of the table, deep in thought. His hair was black and short, his beard was thick and neat, and his kind green eyes looked right through, as if they saw something invisible, hidden from others.
“Kriy, where is your heir? Time is running out,” one of the figures asked, turning to the star man.
“Rasens, we still have a couple of minutes left,” Kriy said, smiling slightly at the impatience.
The dark lacquered wood doors opened, and a man marched into the hall. Judging by the indignant voices, he was not the one everyone expected.
“How dare you come here?” the man at the table, to whom Kriy had been talking a moment before, shouted indignantly.
The star man signaled to them to stop shouting, got up from the table, and moved towards the dark silhouette, but soon froze in his tracks.
“You are Patsovak, aren’t you? Colonel Patsovak?” Kriy asked trying to look the intruder in the eye. He should not have done this…
Although Isata considered herself a brave lioness, she could hardly overcome the urge to close her eyes tight – the colonel’s gaze burned your soul out. Patsovak waved his hand imperiously, and right above the table, where the jellyfish-like creatures used to circle, a dark purple whirlwind rose that instantly enwrapped everyone present.
The vision faded away, and Isata opened her eyes. Kriy patted her head gratefully. The lioness understood that the star man was willing to share the end of the story with her, and this time she pushed her forehead against his palm herself.
A white flash blinded her, but then it dissipated. The lioness realized that she was in a completely different place now. She heard the sounds of falling drops and grinding of metal. Stale air and choking smell of mold between the stones in the walls of an ancient dungeon indicated that she was very deep underground.
There were no sources of light in the cell, except for fluorescent mushrooms growing between mossy cobblestones. However, this did not bother Isata at all: the sharp sight of a nocturnal predator allowed her to navigate even in pitch darkness.
Six gigantic chains hung from the ceiling of the cell, holding the prisoner. This was the star man. He swayed from side to side quietly, humming some melody to himself.
A deafening crick-crack could be heard; then, one of the cell walls simply melted away, flowing hissingly down onto the damp stone floor slabs. A thin man wearing a white coat and glasses appeared in the newly formed passage. He ran up to Kriy and started tampering with the chains.
Kriy shook his head listlessly. “What are you doing, Laurent… leave it, you have to save the others. Where are Ameed and Rasens?”
“The others are already on Earth. Wait a minute! We cannot let him seize your power. Close your eyes!” With these words, Laurent pulled some device from inside his coat with trembling hands and pointed it at Kriy.
A blinding green flash illuminated the dungeon, and Isata shut her eyes reflexively.
“Nasty chains, even the deatomizer won’t break them! What are they made of?” The dissatisfied man stared at the sparkling device, scratching the back of his head.
“It doesn’t matter, Laurent, listen to me!” Kriy did his best to maintain the eye contact. “The most important thing now is to preserve Khabir’s legacy. Listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you. Patsovak doesn’t know that the genesis code can only be transmitted by inheritance or with the consent of all clans. He will never figure it out without the help of a council member. Thus, other worlds are safe.”
Laurent was about to protest, but, on reflection, he put the device aside and took a silver bracelet with a large green stone out of his pocket. “Then you take this,” he said and snapped the piece of jewelry on Kriy’s hand. “While you’re chained, the inaccuracy is too high. But if you manage to break free…”
“Laurent… my dear brave Laurent, I’m begging you, don’t come to me. Take the teleporter and go to Earth to join the others, they need your help more than I do.”
“No, Kriy, I…” The scientist’s eyes were bright with confidence. “I will stay here. I will stay on Khabir to make sure that Patsovak never finds out about the genesis.”
At this, he disappeared. It was perfect timing: the corridor behind the destroyed wall began to fill with excited voices, and then heavy, measured steps were heard.
“Look at the mess you’ve made here!” the cloaked silhouette, who burst into the dungeon, roared. “Are you still trying to get away from me? So, know this: you will be imprisoned until you give me your power, or else Khabir will burn to ashes right before your eyes.”
“The only thing you’ll get from me is pity,” the star man replied. “Are you that afraid of me, Colonel? You chained me, you threw me in the dungeon. Who are you without your cliones? Nothing but a coward…”
“Shut up!” The silhouette waved the flaps of its cloak and pointed the same device that had just been used to melt the wall at the prisoner.
On seeing the shiny weapon, the star man just grinned. “You will never be able to do this. The clans will figure out what has happened and then you won’t escape punishment. Your power is as fragile and shattered as your will, Colonel.”
At that point, the lioness thought she heard a light ringing, as if a crystal pendant had broken. The room was illuminated by the brightest green flash.
The memory started to ripple and then began to collapse like a house of cards. Fragments of events from different places and timelines got completely mixed up in the lioness’s head. It seemed that the entire life of the newcomer floated before her eyes. Isata felt scraps of his feelings flying through her and echoing in her with sadness, regret, and hope. She could still hear Kriy’s voice clearly in her head. “Forgive me, it is wrong to end the story so abruptly, but my powers are running out. I am losing control of my own mind.”
The white veil fell from Isata’s eyes, as she came back to the reality. The star man was still lying in front of her. The lioness saw the reflection of the fading memory in his eyes. Kriy’s hand fell to the ground helplessly. The lioness lay down next to the newcomer to share her warmth.
“The bracelet absorbed most of the shot energy, but, unfortunately, it got broken. That is why I appeared that high,” Kriy said, looking the lioness in the eye. “You are very kind,” he whispered gratefully as he stroked her behind her ears. Isata purred, willing to ease his pain. “Could you do something for me?”
The lioness bowed her head in agreement. Kriy put his hand on her forehead for the last time, and Isata felt his power flowing into her and gathering into a warm lump under her heart. She closed her eyes, falling asleep.
CHAPTER 1. THE BREAKFAST
Deus ex machina is the same thing as a rabbit in a hat.The only difference is that the first one appears on its own, while the second has to be pulled out.
Author’s Note
A morning should start with a healthy breakfast. This Omlion knew for sure. It was seven in the morning. Omlion could have slept longer, but he wondered whether he would be able to make that smoothie whose recipe he had found the night before in a famous bartender’s blog. So, he quickly wrapped himself in a cozy kimono robe and ran downstairs to the kitchen to look for the ingredients.
“Ameed! Aameeeeed!” Omlion called drawlingly.
There was no one in the kitchen. Patches of sunlight shined on the jars with various herbs and exotic varieties of coffee. Noise of cars could be heard from the street, and there was а bunch of keys and a note on the counter with the cash machine.
I flew to Tibet. I will be back in few days with souvenirs. Watch the shop and stay out of trouble. New neighbors are arriving today, they are friends of mine. If they come over, treat them to our specialty coffee.
Ameed
It was not the first time that Omlion was taking charge of the place. So, he knew exactly what to do. He brushed his teeth, smiled to the blonde guy in the mirror, switched on the coffee machine, opened the cash box, wiped the counter, and put a can with “Tips” written on it.
The house where Ameed and Omlion lived was one of those typical Utrecht houses. The three-story building in a classical Dutch style faced the canal and consisted of a coffee shop on the ground floor and residential rooms on the first and second floors. Ameed had a soft spot for his tiny place. When Omlion grew up a bit, the old man taught him to cook, run the coffee shop, and make the best coffee in Utrecht.
Omlion changed his clothes and opened the shop itself and windows on the ground floor for the aroma of fresh coffee to bring in the clients. Then, he sat down on a tall bar stool at the counter, took out his tablet, opened Food Network to check the smoothie recipe in detail, and started to wait for visitors.
He did not have to wait for long. Hardly had Omlion found that very recipe, when the doorbell rang, and a girl looking the same age as him entered the coffee shop.
“Hey! Anybody home?”
“Hello, I am! Please come in!” Omlion replied in a friendly manner and looked at the young guest with interest.
She looked totally like a cartoon character. When the girl talked, her cute oblong face with prominent cheeks seemed to live its own life. She was wearing a nice pale pink dress, and her long hazel hair was pulled into a neat ponytail with an elastic with fancy pompoms. Her sharp nose as well as her loud and fast speech were the signs of an extremely energetic temper.
“You are Omlion, right? Dad told me about you. I am Arewa, I have recently moved in nearby.”
The girl extended her hand, and Omlion immediately shook it. “Oh! Exactly, Ameed told me that a neighbor would be coming. However, I didn’t expect you that early.”
“Early to bed and early to rise…” Arewa declaimed with her nose in the air, but immediately burst out laughing.
Omlion also laughed. “Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. Would you like some coffee?” He put a large white mug on the counter.
“Thanks, but Dad doesn’t let me have coffee, he says it turns me into a nuclear reactor without cooling.”
Omlion hardly knew how nuclear reactors operate, but he removed the mug.
“I’m going to make a tamarillo smoothie. Tamarillos are tree tomatoes. They are tasty, healthy, and definitely don’t explode.”
“But do tomatoes grow on trees? Tomatoes are vegetables.” Arewa looked at her new acquaintance in disbelief.
“To be honest, these aren’t really tomatoes. They are more like fruit. In fact, these are sweet and sour berries. They grow in our roof garden. Would you like to see?”
“Lead the way! You are the boss here.”
“Let’s go, I’ll close the door!”
While Omlion was fiddling with the keys, Arewa was inspecting the store.
The entire room was divided into two unequal parts with a carved oak counter. There was a cash machine on it and a million little things. Tiny teapots, figurines, clay whistles, and candles of all shapes and sizes. In the hall where Arewa was standing, the walls were decorated with thin wooden panels featuring images of animals, plants, and celestial bodies. Some of the pictures were quite realistic, while others were clearly the fruit of the artist’s imagination.
“Are you coming?” Omlion asked, opening the counter.
“Yeah,” the girl answered and followed Omlion up the narrow wooden stairs to the first floor. “And how old are you?”
“I’m 10, and you?”
“It is inappropriate to ask girls this question,” Arewa wrinkled her nose in an emphatic manner.
“Why?”
“To be honest, I don’t know, it’s just inappropriate and improper, that’s all…” The girl stopped and looked at the ceiling pensively. “What room is this?”
The kids went up to the second floor – a bright room with straw mats and small paper lanterns on the walls.
“This is our dōjō[1 - A place for meditations and other spiritual practices in Japanese Buddhism and Shintoism.]!” Omlion said proudly, running out to the middle of the room. “Ameed teaches me martial arts here.”
He got into the fighting stance, took a deep breath, and made a lightning-fast kick with his leg. The rubber flip-flop slipped off the boy’s foot, cutting through the air with a whistling sound, and flew a centimeter away from the guest, who barely had time to move away.
Omlion froze in horror at what he had done. Arewa picked up the flip-flop, took a close look at it, and playfully glanced at the rising kung fu star. Omlion bit his lip guiltily. He never stopped doing this, despite Ameed’s constant reproofs.
“You missed, what else is there to say? Where is your warrior concentration?” Arewa laughed.
Embarrassed and swallowing an apology, Omlion didn’t notice the flip-flop flying back to him. He was not able to catch or return it, not even move away. Arewa knew how to throw.
